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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · coach · staff · snap · date · cap · pitcher · chest

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cap — a hat
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chest — a box
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to click
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — a stick
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com